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MY360: A Well Deserved Win

by
Staff Writer
/ Florida Panthers

“We will receive not what we idly wish for but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service.” – Earl Nightingale

Because I often look to good quotes for motivation and inspiration, I have decided to start including some in my blog. And I thought, based on both the effort of our team and the passion of our fans in last night’s 6-2 Florida Panthers win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the above quote was more than appropriate.

For the third consecutive home game, over 18,000 fans packed the BankAtlantic Center, and after two tough previous losses to Montreal and Boston, both our team and our fans got to leave the building feeling great last night.

It was well deserved. As head coach Pete DeBoer said in his postgame press conference, the team had been playing well recently, but was finally rewarded for their effort. The same goes for our fans, who have shown great excitement and loyalty with growing crowds all season long, and were also rewarded with last night’s win.

As someone who thrives on passion and emotion, I can relate to our fans who probably woke up this morning excited about last night’s big win, and looking forward to following their Panthers on a crucial three-game road trip this week.

Personally, I’ll be in Montreal on Thursday with Panthers Co-Managing Partners Cliff Viner and Stu Siegel and looking forward to seeing if we can avenge a hard-fought 5-4 loss to the Habs on New Year’s Eve. In addition, we will be having a preliminary meeting with league representatives about next year’s schedule, to ensure that we have a lineup of games that benefits the team on the ice, but that also nurtures great home crowds on Opening Night, during the November and December holidays, and on other appropriate dates.

Having been to Montreal, I can tell you it’s an incredible place to experience a hockey game. It’s the type of place that can give you goose bumps from the opening face-off to the final whistle. But I have to admit, after seeing the way our fans were hanging on every play last night and supporting our Panthers even with a two-goal deficit in the first period, I am looking forward to watching the excitement build around this team during the second half of the season and during the stretch run after the Olympic Break.

Speaking of the Olympics, I want to congratulate defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and goalie Tomas Vokoun for being picked to represent their countries in Vancouver. I can only imagine the sense of pride they must feel at being selected, and I want to encourage all of our Panthers fans to cheer them on come mid-February.

Watching on Friday as the US Olympic Team was chosen live following the incredible NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park, I couldn’t help but wonder if David Booth would have been another Panthers representative at the Winter Games if he had been healthy all season.

Either way it’s going to be a compelling tournament to watch, and with the condensed NHL schedule, the last 20-or-so games of the season should represent a sprint to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

For now though, the Panthers have a big Canadian road trip in front of them, before being welcomed home by Alex Ovechkin and the Southeast Division-leading Capitals next Wednesday. When we do return to Sunrise, I’m looking forward to the same passion and intensity from our players and our fans, that we saw last night against the Penguins.

Since joining Sunrise Sports & Entertainment in September of 2003, Michael R. Yormark has guided the organization into a new era of growth and success. For his efforts, devotion and dedication to SSE and the Florida Panthers, he was promoted to the position of President on Aug. 13, 2007.

Yormark and his staff have worked diligently to build and re-brand Florida Panthers L.L.L.P. into Sunrise Sports & Entertainment, a first-class sports and entertainment company, and to ensure that the BankAtlantic Center lives up to its reputation as the “Center of it All” in South Florida. SSE serves as an umbrella for a diverse portfolio of operating entities that includes the BankAtlantic Center, the Florida Panthers, incredible ICE, Sawgrass Live presented by BankAtlantic and the Oz real estate development project.

Yormark has built SSE into a comprehensive company with its values rooted in innovative marketing and public relations strategies, first-rate customer and client services, aggressive sales and diverse revenue pursuits. For that reason, Yormark and his staff were able to grow sponsorship sales significantly in a touch economy, maintain an average attendance of over 15,500 for Panthers games, renew over 90-percent of season ticket holders on an annual basis, and sell out all premium suite inventory (suites and clubs) for five straight years running.

In addition, Yormark has overseen dramatic improvements to the BankAtlantic Center in the last few years including two Las Vegas-style outdoor marqees’ and two huge Lobby Vision LED boards inside the arena’s lobby. He has also spearheaded an innovative sponsorship activation strategy that included the creation of his Brand Activation Team and led to the development of the Publix Kids Korner, IT’s Sugar Sweet Spot and various other branded destinations that are the first of their kind in the professional sports industry.

Yormark has been consistently recognized for his and the company’s considerable success through national awards and exposure such as the SportsBusiness Journal’s Forty Under 40 Award, the Stanley Cup of Business, the City of Sunrise Business Leader Award, the South Florida Businss Journal’s Business of the Year Award Nomination, profiles in Newsweek magazine, Sports Illustrated and on CNBC, a top 12 worldwide ranking for the BankAtlantic Center in Pollstar Magazine, an Arena of the Year Nomination from Pollstar and more.

Yormark has also dedicated considerable time to the South Florida community including acting as President of the Sunrise Foundation, sitting on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County and being a member of the Young President’s Organization.

That said, Yormark continues to expand the business and build the SSE brand through projects such as the expansion of incredible ICE and the development of the area surrounding the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise through Oz.